The Huntress' Confession
by acosta perez jose ramiro
Summary: Valerie finally decides to be honest with Danny because of a certain incident between her and Phantom.
1. A Secret, No More

Hello, everyone, and welcome to my first Danny Phantom's story. And, next to me, is my assistant, Tucker Foley. (Thanks, man, and thanks a lot for choosing me for this job.) Choosing you? You are the one who almost begged me to have it! (Hey, I had to take it! I heard somewhere that girls can't resist assistants.) _–sigh- _Maybe I should had chosen Ember or Desiree… (Hey! They are evil ghosts, you know?) Yes, but they look way better than you. (I can't argue that point. They can overshadow me any day.)

Okay, Tuck, can you please say the disclaimer? (Sure. I even made the disclaimer using Ember's style.) You're not going to sing, right? (Of course! Here I go… ehem! _DISCLAIMER! You must remember! Danny… belongs to Nick-e-lo-deon! Ramiro… doesn't own him… or any… related char-ac-ter!_)

Eh… okay, thanks, Tucker, but, next time, just talk normally, or sing outside, okay? (Why you want me to sing outside?) Because, otherwise, people at the street will believe we are killing a pig in here. (HEY!) Just kidding! But seriously, don't sing.

And now, on with the show!

**The Huntress' Confession.**

**A Danny Phantom's story by Acosta Perez Jose Ramiro.**

**-A Secret, No More.**

"Okay, Val, take a deep breath… it's just him, so don't panic… right, keep repeating it and maybe your stomach will stop dancing The Macarena."

Valerie Gray kept talking to herself while pacing back and forth in Casper High's football field. It was almost midnight, and way pass her curfew, but she handled to sneak out of her house so her father didn't suspect a thing; the fact he had a lot of work that day, and was extremely tired to hear her escaping through the window helped a lot.

"I hope he doesn't have any problem to sneak out of his house at well. Otherwise, I'll really feel like a maniac just talking to myself." Valerie sighed, and sat on a bleacher, looking at the night sky. She was sure her call and request to see him at this hour and place was a major surprise for the boy, but she just couldn't wait to talk to him. Maybe, if she allowed herself to think better about what she was about to do, her common sense would click and stop the girl, as it had happened many times in the past.

"Val?"

The girl turned when hearing a male voice whispering her name, and smiled slightly. At a distance, Daniel "Danny" Fenton entered the field, and spotted her. The boy, with a face showing both confusion and happiness, approached her.

"Danny, thanks a lot for coming!" Valerie said to him while giving the boy a tight hug. Danny got a slightly pained expression, but hugged her back. Valerie then gave him a good look, and gasped.

"Danny, what happened to you?" Val asked him in surprise. Now that she could see him better, the girl noticed a few bruises on the boy's face, and was almost sure that his body ached him a little, judging by his reaction when they hugged.

"Well… you know me. I'm the school's official punching bag." Danny rubbed his neck while Val sighed, guessing what happened.

"Danny, I know you boys don't want a girl to protect yourselves, but if you don't tell Lancer about Dash always bullying you, then I'll have to take the problem on my hands, and kick his butt." Valerie told him, making the boy to smile a little; the girl was a ninth grade black belt, so, even if Dash was way stronger, Val could send him to the hospital without breaking a sweat if she really wanted.

"Thanks, Val, but I would hate to see you having problems with him and the rest of the football team. Remember, Dash is the quarterback, and, if he gets suspended because of me telling a teacher, or injured by you, the team will blame us if they lose because of him not playing." Danny told her, and then placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Don't worry. I can handle him most of the time; normally, he just shoves me inside a locker, and I have enough practice to escape from it in no time."

Valerie saw the boy's smile and bright blue eyes, and remembered why she had called him. If anyone was kind and forgiving enough for hearing what she was about to confess, it was Danny.

"Good. Look Danny, I really appreciate you coming here… I have something really important to tell you, and it's kind of freaky."

"My family has an inter-dimensional portal on the basement, Val. I don't think you can really freak me out."

"Yeah… that's another reason I called you. Star is a good friend, but she wouldn't understand this as well as you." Valerie paused, and walked a few steps away from Danny. "Okay… it's a little hard to explain it with words, so…"

The girl took a deep breath, and closed her eyes. A moment later, a beeping sound was heard, and her body was covered in an instant by a dark red battle suit that protected her whole body, with a plastic/crystal cover on her face that allowed her to see. Danny gulped, and wide opened his eyes.

"Val… you're the flying ghost huntress?"

"Surprise." Valerie said, removing her cowl so her head could be totally uncovered.

"How? And, most important, why?"

"Remember when my dad lost his job?" Valerie asked him while rubbing her arms. Danny silently nodded. "As you know, it was because that ghost boy and his stupid dog broke into the labs; because of that, my dad and I lost our house, and for the first time in ages, we got money problems. To make things worse, I also lost my popularity. That's when Mister Masters appeared."

"At first it was an anonymous help; he provided me with the weapons and stuff without me knowing who was sending them. When Amity was invaded by that ghost army a few months ago, he finally told me the truth, and started helping me openly. He said he chose me because I was motivated to fight ghosts, plus having the physical abilities to handle the weapons; sure, most of the time I can't go toe-to-toe against a ghost because they can turn intangible, or have super-strength, but my karate training gave me the reflexes and stamina needed both to use the weapons and use the flying sled correctly."

"But ghost hunting is a very dangerous business, Val!" Danny said to her. "My parents have enough gadgets and gizmos to stop almost any ghost, and even they rarely fight alone. You hate Phantom that much to risk your life fighting him on your own?"

"Certainly, there's no lost love between us, I can tell you." Valerie confessed. "Every time I had been tempted to give him a truce, he had done something to make me anger. First, he made Dad discover my secret, and, of course, he wasn't happy. And then, well, remember when that red suited guy attacked you? It was my first battle outfit, controlled by a ghost… and Phantom destroyed it in a snap! That could have been me, Danny!" Valerie wide opened her eyes and gulped a little because of that memory. "And finally, he stole a space suit from Axion Labs… good thing that now ghostly attacks are common knowledge, so nobody blamed my father for that, but you get my point."

Danny looked down, and, for a moment, Valerie thought he was actually getting a guilty look. She shook her head, since obviously Danny had no reasons to feel that way, so guessed he was just feeling sorry for her problems.

"And… why you suddenly decided to tell me this?" Danny asked after a few seconds. Valerie sat again in the bleachers, and Danny placed next to her.

"Not surprisingly, because something happened today between me and Phantom. And… it kind of changed my whole perspective… or maybe he just gave my common sense a very need push." Valerie told him, and then started narrating her last encounter against her nemesis.


	2. The Hunters and The Prey

-**The Hunters and The Prey.**

Valerie exited Nasty Burger, slightly tired, yet happy for ending another job's day. Certainly, even if she no longer needed to work since her father recovered his job, the girl actually enjoyed earning her own money, and it was easier now that she had been promoted from mascot to cashier. Plus, she could eat all the French Fries she wanted for free (ghost-hunting burned many calories), and had made some good friends among the other students who worked there.

After walking a few blocks, Val's ghost alarm went on. After realizing nobody was around, the girl dashed into an alley, and activated her battle suit. She sometimes was a little hesitant about using the new one, since had no idea about its origin, but it worked even better than the old suit, so decided to not look at the mouth of the given horse. A few seconds later, she was flying on her techno sled, looking for the ghost who had activated the alarm.

Valerie flew over the buildings, knowing by previous experiences that most ghosts liked to stay at street level or just a few feet over it, so the bird sight was the best way to spot them. When couldn't discover any specter, she started looking up, guessing that maybe this ghost would be from the most aerial type. She wasn't wrong; over her, she saw a ghost with a black and white outfit, white hair… and was a girl.

"Oh, my… it's a ghost girl! And she looks a lot like Phantom!" Valerie said to herself, and got an idea. Instead of attacking the ghost at the spot, as usual, decided to follow her, since maybe she and the ghost boy were related somehow, and might as well guide her to Phantom, and then finish them both.

After following the ghost girl for a few minutes, always keeping a certain distance, Valerie saw her landing in the park, so the huntress decided to fly down now, hopping to surprise her and Phantom. She was right; Val saw how the ghost girl was greeted by Phantom, who obviously was waiting for her to arrive.

"Now you're mine, ghost." Valerie smirked, and got ready to charge against them, when noticed both ghosts got surprised expressions, and started looking around them.

"They didn't see me, or they do?" Valerie thought while hiding behind a thick tree. Then, out of nowhere, the ghosts were attacked by a series of blasts, dodging it by pure miracle. Valerie and the ghosts looked up, discovering the attacker.

"Two! Two prey at the same time! Ah, the after-life is good!"

"Skulker!" Valerie and Phantom said at the same time, while the ghost girl hided behind the boy. The huge hunter ghost, hovering over them, got an evil grin, and took out a missile launcher.

"Oh, no! If this fight runs out of control and leaves the park, many people can get hurt!" Valerie exclaimed; the only thing she hated more than ghosts was the idea of ghosts hurting people. The girl growled, and left her hiding place to finish the three specters.

"Dani, jump!" The ghost boy said to the girl. She obeyed, so they could avoid the first missile, which exploded where they were standing just a moment before. Then, Danny spotted Valerie, flying at top speed against them.

"Ah, another prey! Glorious!" Skulker laughed.

"Ah, another hunter. Great." Danny gulped a split second before using his ecto-shield to protect from a series of shots from Valerie's cubic-like blasters. He then phased through the ground and reappeared next to Dani, who was using her own ecto-shield for protection against another missile.

"Danny, I don't think I can get another shot!" The girl exclaimed in fear.

"Fly away, now! I'll handle this!" Danny ordered to her, taking advantage of the fact now Valerie was exchanging shots with Skulker. The girl nodded, and flew away from the battle field.

Valerie shot against a missile when it was just a few feet away from Skulker, so the explosion got him and sent the massive ghost against a tree. Then, the huntress turned back, and started shooting at Danny again. The boy phased through some trees, which received the shots instead, with Valerie right behind him; luckily, since the girl couldn't phase through the trees, she couldn't chase him directly, so had to keep shooting from a high position. Then, Val spotted Dani, who was still close enough to be seen, and left her main target to get her.

Skulker activated his jet-like wings, and started chasing the huntress and the ghost girl. Danny realized that now Skulker was after Valerie, and both hunters were chasing his clone-friend, so abandoned his hiding place to chase them as well.

Valerie started shooting at Dani, who turned back to shot some ecto-blasts in reply, but the huntress, thanks to her experience fighting Phantom, could avoid all the attacks, and hit the ghost girl a couple of times. However, she wasn't aware of Skulker right behind them, so couldn't avoid one of the hunter's missile-nets. The net prevented Val from fighting, plus messing with her flight, so the girl smashed against one tree's branches.

While Val was struggling to get rid of the net, Danny shot at Skulker, destroying his net-launcher. The hunter took out a little gun, and shot some mini-missiles against Phantom. Danny avoided them, but, to his surprise, they made a U-turn, returning against him.

"Tracking missiles, ghost boy." Skulker grinned. "Programmed specifically with your genetic code."

Danny flew in circles with the missiles right behind him. Danny shot one, but, instead of a powerful explosion, it only made a minor one, releasing a green dust. Danny decided to stay away from that dust, since, being a Skulker's invention, it certainly would be a nasty surprise.

Dani, partially recovered from Val's attack, charged against Skulker, and gave him a powerful kick on his chin. The hunter smirked at her, and replied with a punch of his own; the girl got stunned, but tried to blast her enemy. Unfortunately, Skulker was way stronger and faster, so had no problems to grab both her wrists.

"Hey, ghost boy! Genetic code, remember?" Skulker shouted at Danny, while squishing Dani's wrists and moving her in front of him. Then, to Danny's surprise, the missiles stopped chasing him, and headed against a closer and immobile target.

"NO!" Danny screamed, and flew at top speed to place himself between Dani and the missiles. He then created a shield for protection. Valerie, now free from the net (thanks to a few well directed blasts), saw the whole action.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Once the green dust cleared, Val could see Danny emerging from the cloud, coughing. Luckily, his shield protected him from the worst part of the impacts, but some of the dust managed to pass through the shield. Danny got a sick expression, and then fell to the ground.

"Danny!" Dani cried, and, ignoring the pain, handled to blast Skulker's face. She then dived to grab Danny before he hit the ground. He seemed to be mostly fine, but couldn't move at all.

"Danny, what happened?"

"Ghost Tranquilizer…" Danny replied weakly.

Valerie overheard them, and got an evil grin. She remembered that tranquilizer from her first encounter against Skulker; even if Phantom wouldn't be really hurt, the paralysis would last for a few minutes, more than enough time for her to finish the ghost girl and Skulker before eliminating Phantom for good. The huntress charged against the young ghosts, forcing Dani to leave Danny for the moment.

Dani avoided a blast from Valerie, and then shot against her sled, making her lose balance for a moment. The ghost girl then charged against her, ready to take Val out of the fight, but Skulker was already recovered from the previous attack and shooting again. Valerie got a shot on her chest, but, luckily, her new suit was far more resistant than the original, so she just lost her breath. Skulker tried to blast her again, but was cut by the glowing fists of Dani, who caught him by surprise and took the chance to punch the hunter several times.

Valerie took some deep breaths while flying away from the battling specters. She realized that fighting them both at the same time wasn't exactly the best idea, so decided to wait a little while they weakened each other before finishing them. She had a more important target waiting for her anyway.

Danny struggled to break the paralysis, but it was useless. He hardly could talk, so moving was out of the question. The most he could do was turning his head a little… spotting a red outfitted person walking through him.

"This isn't exactly my style, but I can't complain." Valerie said while a miniature blaster emerged from the back of her right hand. "At last I have you at my mercy, ghost… and you know, I don't have said mercy!"


	3. Ghostly Deal

-**Ghostly Deal.**

Valerie aimed at Danny's head, taking her time to finish him. She had the full intention to enjoy watching the fear on his eyes before his elimination.

That is, until REALLY watching the fear on his eyes.

Somehow, Valerie couldn't shoot him. It was the best chance she'll ever have to eliminate her nemesis, but now that she had him just a few inches away from her blaster, she couldn't shoot at the ghost.

"**_Come on, Val, what are you waiting for?"_** The girl thought.

"_But he is defenseless now!" _A voice inside her head stopped her for a moment.

"_**That's how I want him!"**_

"_This is no hunting, Val! It's homicide!"_

"_**He is a ghost. He is nothing but trouble! HE ISN'T EVEN HUMAN!"**_

"_Look at his eyes, and say that again."_

Valerie shook her head, tired of arguing with herself, and then looked at her scared prey. That look… even if his eyes' weren't human, his fear was, and there was no way to deny it.

"Valerie…" Phantom moved his head to look behind Val, and then back at her.

"Shut up, ghost! You want to beg for your after-life, right?" Val snapped at him.

"No… but for her!" Danny said in a really concerned tone. Valerie looked over her shoulder, and gasped. Skulker was gaining advantage on his battle against the ghost girl, who barely could move now, and was receiving a major beating.

"Why would I care about her? She is a ghost! If another ghost finishes her, that's much better for me and the city!" Valerie replied in anger.

"You don't care… but I do! Please, save her! She is… like a little sister to me." Danny begged, making Valerie to get a shocked expression. She had never thought about ghosts being something besides troubles, prey, and, in the case of The Box Ghost, a minor annoyance… but them having families and loved ones, it was a factor she never considered.

Danny tried to move again, showing a slight relief when noticing his left leg moved a little… but he was still unable to help Dani. Valerie was the little girl's only hope, and Danny would do anything to convince her. He made a decision right there, not really realizing about it until saying it out loud.

"I promise… that if you save her… I'll be yours after the fight."

"What?" Val replied, stunned by his words.

"You… heard me. I'll no escape, or turn intangible, or fight back… I'll not even turn invisible. You'll be able to do whatever you want with me. I promise it." Danny said, totally honest.

"That's a trick of yours! It must be!" Valerie roared while aiming at him again.

"No… it's a promise."

Meanwhile, Skulker grabbed Dani by her hair, and threw her against the ground. Since they were almost ten stories-high in the air, the impact was quite painful for the girl. Skulker landed next to her, and waited for the girl to stand up. Dani returned to her feet by using all her remaining strength, and then saw the huge grinning ghost in front of her. She threw a punch against Skulker, but the hunter simply caught her fist with his open palm, and then closed his hand right before lifting the girl at his eyes' level.

"You gave me a good hunt, little girl. I was tempted to throw you inside a cage for the rest of your after-life," Skulker said while taking out a sharp blade, glowing with ectoplasmic energy, and moving it next to the girl's cheek, "but I suppose you'll eventually find a way to escape, so I'll just behead you, and put your head as a trophy over my fire place."

"Even by ghosts' standards, that's sick!"

Skulker turned when hearing Valerie's voice, and received a couple of blasts on his back, making him to drop Dani. Valerie accelerated her sled, and, in a dashing movement, grabbed Dani and then flew away from Skulker, trying to get as much distance between them as possible.

"One of my prey helping another one, uh? Not bad, little huntress, but you'll be mine as well." Skulker growled, and then started chasing Valerie and Dani.

The hunter took out a bazooka, and shot a couple of projectiles against the girls. Valerie made a couple of well placed back-shots, destroying them, but the resulting dust from the explosions made her unable to keep an eye on Skulker. Valerie flew as high and fast as possible, still carrying Dani, trying to avoid being surprised by the ghost.

"Hello, prey!" Skulker became visible right in front of Valerie, who hardly had time to avoid a series of shots. The girl shot back, and Skulker made a diving movement to escape from her. The hunter made invisible again and Valerie groaned in annoyance; her ghost detector kept telling her that there was a ghost around her, but she had no idea about his exact location.

"Okay, as I always say, if you have a doubt… start shooting!" Valerie said to herself, and made a series of short shots around her, hoping to get Skulker with one of them. She knew she couldn't make very strong ones because the missing blasts might get out of the park's area and hurt someone, therefore limiting herself to just shooting low-powered ones that would lose its charge after a few dozen feet.

"He is behind us!" Dani, now partially recovered, yelled in fear. Valerie turned her head, and got caught by Skulker's powerful arms in a bear hug-like way. The girl tried to use a karate movement to release herself, but the ghost was incredibly strong, and, since she was on her sled, couldn't get a good standing point for leverage and fight back. Dani looked at the scene laying on the front of the sled, with shocked eyes.

"You fight well for a human, girl… but humans have a major weakness." Skulker whispered at her while increasing his hug's strength. "Breathing."

Valerie gasped, trying to get some air, but Skulker's arms were as powerful as an anaconda's coils, slowly taking the life out of her.

"And you have a major problem!" Skulker looked up at a pair of high-speeded fists heading against his face. "ME!"

WHAAM!

Danny, now totally free of the paralysis' effects, sent Skulker several feet down with his attack. He turned to see Valerie coughing and Dani helping her to keep balance on the sled.

"Val, take Dani out of here. I'm finishing this fight now." Danny said to the huntress right before diving against Skulker, who was now ready to continue the battle.

"Ghost girl, can you fly on your own?" Valerie asked Dani.

"Yes… I think I can."

"Good. Get out of here while I kick that hunter's butt."

"But Danny said you had to take me out of here."

"Yes, but he isn't my boss. Now, go!" Valerie said to Dani in an authoritarian yet caring tone. Dani nodded, and, despite the effort, could fly away from the sled.

"It seems the paralyzing missiles aren't enough for you, boy." Skulker said while avoiding some of Danny's blasts. "Well, I have more from the same model… but these are from the very explosive kind."

Skulker took out his launcher, and shot a few mini-missiles against his prey. As the previous ones, these could follow Danny's every move, forcing him to fly at his top speed to avoid them.

"Okay, let's see if you like the taste of your own medicine!" Danny exclaimed, and then flew against Skulker at his top speed. Right before hitting the hunter, Danny became intangible, phasing through Skulker's body, that now was caught in front of the missiles.

Skulker grinned, and turned intangible. Since the missiles weren't programmed with his genetic code, they would pass through him without causing any harm, unless he changed back to solid.

"Intangibility isn't good against this!"

Skulker received a powerful shock from one of Valerie's weapons, forcing him back to solid again… right when the missiles reached him.

BRABABOOOM!

The dust cleared to reveal a badly bruised hunter ghost. Danny then jumped over his shoulders and started punching his head with all his might.

"Get… OW!... Down… YEOUCH!... From me… URGH!" Skulker said between hits. Danny got a sly grin, and then jumped down from the ghost's shoulders.

"That's better… OH, NO!"

SLICE!

Valerie dashed against Skulker's head, and, since her new sled's front had a fork-like shape, and could be charged with ecto-blasting energy as well, made a perfect job separating Skulker's face from his body. The now beheaded armored body fell to the ground, creating a crater because of the impact.

Danny landed next to Skulker's body, and introduced his hand on the neck's hole. Valerie descended as well, and got a nauseated look.

"You're not going to eviscerate him, right? That's even grosser than the beheading!"

"No… I'm just looking for… this!" Danny said in triumph right before yanking a struggling little frog-like ghostly creature out from Skulker's body.

"Valerie, meet Skulker's true self."

"You can't do this to me! I'm the Ghost Zone's greatest hunter!" The little ghost yelled in rage and fear.

"I'd heard about the whole overcompensating thing, but you took it to the extreme." Valerie said to Skulker while arching an eyebrow. Then, she aimed at him with her hand's blaster. "Oh, well. I'm curious about the taste of frog legs anyway."

"I have a better idea." Danny said while checking Skulker's armored body, and smiled when noticing the tracking missiles and their laucher weren't damaged at all. He then grabbed Skulker and, by using some anti-ghost line (the same kind the Fenton Fisher uses) he took out from his outfit's pocket, tied him to one missile's nose. Then, he made some adjustments to the weapon (it was actually pretty simple; just choosing the name of the ghost from a list on a screen located under the weapon, and it was ready), and handled it to Valerie.

"Shot whenever you want." Danny said to the girl. Valerie aimed at the sky, but, before shooting, gave Phantom a quizzical look.

"And where exactly is this missile going?"

"Wisconsin." Danny said calmly.

Valerie shrugged, knowing that the missile was aimed to blast a ghost, and fired the missile away.

"YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHH…." Skulker's scream died at the distance.

A few moments later, Dani landed next to Danny. Despite her bruises and some minor wounds, she looked quite happy.

"Are you okay?" Danny asked in concern, placing his hands on the little girl's shoulders.

"Yes… my body aches a lot, but I guess I'll be fine." Dani said, and then turned to see Valerie. "Thanks for the help… but why you were shooting at us when you arrived?"

Val and Danny exchanged looks, and then the huntress looked down at the little ghost girl.

"Phantom and I have a very… complicated relationship."

"And now I need to talk a little with her." Danny told Dani while giving her a warm smile. "Go to the place we already discussed, okay?"

Dani smiled back at him, and, after waving good-bye to Val, flew away, turning invisible after a few moments.

"Is she still…"

"No, she isn't." Danny said to Valerie, sighing. "I have a ghost sense that alerts me from other ghosts, and right now I can't sense her or any other specter around here. I'm the only one."

Danny placed himself in front of Valerie, and put down his hands while closing his eyes.

"So… you were telling the truth about the promise?" Valerie asked, surprised at his actions.

"Yes… just… make it quick, okay?" Danny replied, not daring to open his eyes.

Valerie hesitated for a few seconds. Then, got a stern expression, and clenched her fists.

She made her movement.


	4. Payback and Realization

-**Payback and Realization.**

**POW!**

Danny felt the impact of Valerie's fist against his face. Despite his superior strength, Danny was already wasted because of his fight against Skulker, and Valerie's suit, besides protecting her, increased the girl's stamina, so he actually resented that hit.

Valerie paused to see her enemy's reaction. When she realized he really had no intention to fight back, threw another punch, a lot harder than the first one, making him to back up a few steps.

Valerie grabbed Danny by his shoulders and kneed him on the belly. Danny wide opened his eyes in pain, and then received a sharp karate chop on his neck, sending him to the ground. Valerie kicked his ribs to turn Danny face up, and then, in a professional wrestling-like style, jumped over him, elbowing Danny's chest, taking out all the air from his lungs (**AN: I think that, despite being half-ghost, Danny still needs to breath, even if using less air than as a human**). Valerie stood up and leaned to grab him by his collar, forcing the boy to stand up.

Val slapped him hardly a few times before making a judo-toss over her shoulder, sending him flying a few feet away. Danny, stunned, stood up, and turned to see her taking impulse to give him a round house kick that impacted the boy against a nearby tree. Danny put his arms around his torso in pain, and then received a punch on the chin. Then, Valerie grabbed him by his hair and shoulder, and, after separating him a few feet away from the tree, slammed the boy back against the log at full strength, face first. She repeated the operation several times, sometimes kicking the boy before slamming him.

When noticing Phantom seemed to be losing conscience, Valerie started punching and kicking Danny with him leaning against the tree, this being the only thing that prevented Danny to fall to the ground again. After a couple of minutes, a very groggy Phantom lifted his head, looking at the panting huntress taking out her mini-blaster from the back of her hand, aiming at his head.

BLAAAST!

Danny didn't move a muscle to avoid the shot… but wasn't hit. Surprised, he looked over his head to see the charred tree's bark, and then back to Valerie, who had a playful smirk.

"Now we are even." Valerie said to him in a smug tone. "Don't give me problems again, and we'll remain that way. Deal?"

Danny wide opened his eyes, not believing Val's speech… but he wanted to believe, so nodded in agreement. Valerie grinned, and then used her sled to fly away from the park, leaving a bruised, confused, and living Danny Phantom behind her.

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Valerie looked down, getting a slight smile when ending her narration. Next to her, Danny waited for her to say something, but, when she didn't, he opened his mouth… and, at that moment, she talked again.

"I could have destroyed him at that moment, you know that?" Valerie said to him.

"Yes… but you didn't. Why you let him go?" Danny asked while leaning to take a better look at her.

"Well… there were many things that stopped me. Had you heard that, when you're about to die, you see your whole life flash in front of your eyes?" Valerie asked, and, without waiting for his answer, continued talking. "Well, guess what? When you're about to kill someone, you also have some kind of flash view."

"The moment I started hitting Phantom, I started remembering all the things that made me hate him… as if looking for more anger to finish the job. But, every time I got a nasty memory, I also got a pleasant one that covered the other. My dad lost his job because of him, but he has it back now. I had to take a job I detested because of the money problems Phantom caused to us, but that made me a more responsible person, and I got some new friends at Nasty Burger. He revealed my secret identity in front of my father, but, by doing it, he probably saved my life, because I was about to fight a ghost army with an injured arm and two broken ribs. And sure, he destroyed my old suit, but a ghost was controlling it, and he saw it attacking me, so he actually saved my life again. He had shot some ghostly blasts against me, but only in self defense, and never used his whole power; I had seen him fighting at his top, and believe me, he is extremely powerful."

"And, finally, he made me lose my popularity…" Valerie paused, and then gave Danny a fond look, "but, thanks to that, I realized that Paulina and the other popular guys never really cared about me, but about my status… and I got to know how nice and cute you are."

Danny blushed at Val's comment, and gave her a little smile of his own.

"Thanks… and, truth be said, I really liked the chance to really know you. You're a great girl, Valerie, and I enjoy a lot being your friend."

Val stared at Danny for a few seconds, then took a deep breath, and continued.

"You know what else stopped me? The way he acted when that girl was in danger. I always thought ghosts were totally evil, and I had full right to eliminate them, the same way you squish a mosquito trying to bite you. But the way he was willing to sacrifice himself to save her, and how he trusted me to aid the girl even if knowing I could kill them both… and that concern… the fear on his eyes and voice… how he remained loyal to his promise despite how bad I was hurting him! I am no expert, but I swear he was being, well, human. A very brave a noble one." Valerie said with no doubt on her voice.

"And besides, how would I kill the brother of the girl I helped save just a few moments before? No, I would never do that." Valerie sighed. "Sure, I had to hit him, and I liked to scare him with the blasting I made at the end, but that was mainly to relief all my remaining anger, and I had seen him recovering from worse things; he might be sore for a couple of days, but I'm sure he'll be alright. Once I was done, I felt absolutely no rage left, and confirmed he isn't as bad as I thought, because he never tried to escape or fight back. Guess Paulina is right for once, and Phantom isn't a menace after all."

"So, you're quitting ghost hunting?" Danny asked.

"No. I'll still be blasting ghosts back to that crazy zone, but I'll do my best to not getting obsessed with that, and not letting my rage cloud my reason." Valerie told him, and then placed a hand on Danny's chest. "And… well… remember I told you I only wanted us to have a friendly relationship?"

"Yes. You told me that your life was a little complicated at that time to be something else… I understand the "complicated" part now." Danny chuckled.

"Well… that was because I don't want any of my ghost enemies to hurt you. But now I realized my main enemy isn't really evil… and actually, never was, I would try to get back to where we left… if you want." Valerie said to him with hope-filled eyes. Danny sighed, and walked back a few steps.

"I would like that, Valerie… but first, I have to confess you a secret as well. And it's as big as yours… and you might hate me after I tell it to you." Danny said while rubbing his neck. Val gave him a confused look, noticing how both serious and nervous he was, but relaxed in a moment.

"Danny, if you didn't freak out because of my secret, I doubt I can't accept one from you, no matter how big. And remember this; I'll never, ever, hate you, Daniel Fenton." Valerie said in a half-serious, half-joking tone. Danny took a deep breath, and started talking.

"Well… you see, when my parents were still working on the portal, I took a dare from Sam, and entered it to give that thing a look… and, at that moment, activated it by accident."

"Mmmm… I remember now! It was when you couldn't attend classes for a few days, right? Dash kept telling all of us that your parents finally got fed of you, and sent you to a military school." Valerie said. Danny chuckled a little, but returned to his stern expression immediately.

"I got affected by that accident, Val, and I a way nobody can imagine… even the doctors at the hospital didn't notice it when they checked me, and I can't blame them. I hadn't told my own parents about this."

"Oh, my… you got cancer because of the radiation, or something like that?" Valerie exclaimed, scared at the idea of losing Danny. The boy shook his head quickly.

"No, nothing that lethal… but much weirder. My DNA got altered and… I am now capable of some things that are impossible for a normal human."

"What do you mean?"

Danny didn't say a thing for a few seconds, until he finally found his voice back and said something in a whisper.

"Going Ghost."

A large energy ring appeared on his waist, and then divided in two, passing over his body. As they moved through the boy's body, they changed his clothing for a black and white uniform with a white stylized "D" on his chest, and, when ending, Danny got white hair, and green bright eyes.

Valerie's jaw fell, and was unable to say a thing for almost a minute. Danny just stood there, waiting for a reaction. Val finally lowered her head, and talked in a whisper.

"So, you're…"

"Yes, Danny Phantom." Danny replied, looking down and nervously rubbing his arms.

"And you are a…"

"A halfa… that means I'm either a human with ghostly abilities, or a ghost-human hybrid. It's not clear yet."

"And you knew about my secret…"

"Since day one."

"The ghost dog…"

"He isn't mine. I was trying to return him to the Ghost Zone, and unfortunately, you and your dad were caught in the middle."

"And that ghost girl is…?"

"A female clone of myself. Long story."

The girl clenched her fists, and growled.

"Change. Back. To. Human. NOW!"

Danny nodded, and turned back to Fenton. Then, Valerie lifted her face, and drew back a fist. Danny gulped and closed his eyes, guessing what was about to happen.

SMACK!

And failing.

Danny placed a hand on his right cheek, where Valerie had given him a fast kiss. Danny got a surprised expression, looking at Valerie, who was now smiling at him while getting teary eyes and placing the same hand Danny thought was about to hit him on his shoulder.

"You knew it was me the huntress shooting at you all the time… and yet you tried being my friend?" Valerie asked, a little surprised for thinking about herself as the bad one for once. Danny finally got his voice back, and rubbed gently her cheeks to wash away a lonely tear.

"Val, I already told you, I had enjoyed your friendship a lot. And even when you were chasing me, I knew you're not evil at all, just misguided and a little short-fused... okay, maybe VERY short-fused, but you get my point. You're very important to me, Val, and when you forgave someone you claimed to hate that much, I was joyful because that confirmed what I always knew… how a nice girl you are on the inside. If I had to take a beating from the most beautiful and coolest girl in Amity Park so we could be honest with each other and finish our feud, then you can kick my butt any time you want." Danny chuckled a little at the end of his speech before smiling fondly at the Afro-American beauty in front of him.

Valerie turned off her battle suit, and got her regular clothing back. Then, she grabbed Danny by his shoulders, and gave him a deep kiss on the lips; Danny placed his hands on the girl's waist, and kissed her back. After a few seconds, they broke apart, and stared at each other.

"I'm so sorry… for all. The chasing, the shooting… the beating I gave you." Val was cut by Danny's finger on her lips.

"You said it. We are even. Now… will you mind if Phantom carries you back home?" Danny asked with a playful smirk. Val chuckled and poked his chest in a teasing mode.

"Only if you don't drop me, ghost."

"I would never do that." Danny smiled widely, and then changed back to Phantom. He carried Valerie bridal style, and then flew away from the school. Val smiled at him, and leaned her head against his, finding that his ghostly skin, even if a little colder than the human one, was quite comfortable.

"You know, I still have something to ask you." Val said.

"Shoot… not literally, of course." Danny joked, making her to laugh.

"Dork. Okay, seriously… why did you send an explosive missile to Wisconsin?"

Danny laughed at her question, and lowered his speed.

He would need a very long flight to explain that one.

**THE END.**

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And that was it! (Nice story, dude. Now, just put me in Danny's role, and let Val give me some sugar so everyone can be happy.) Tucker… (I know I would be.) If that's what you want, then I'll make you Danny's stunt man for the beating scenes… that way you might have some action with Val. (Eh… on a second thought, breathing and conserving the proper use of my limbs are top priorities in my list, so I guess I should pass.)

Thanks a lot to all those who read this story. (Thanks for the support, guys, and for pointing the missing or OOC details; all that helps Ramiro to be a better writer.) You said it, Tuck.

One thing before leaving; I like Danny's pairing with Sam in the series… (Of course, I mean, it's so obvious they are in love.) Thanks for the interruption, Tucker. Anyway, as I said, I like Danny/Sam in the series, but there are many excellent fics with Danny/Val, so I decided to do this one. If I can write another DP's fic, I might do it Danny/Sam if I have the right idea. (I have the right idea… Jazz, Valerie, Paulina, me, and a hot tub.) Calm down, Tucker, or I'm writing a fic with you swimming in a Siberian lake. (Hey, why that?) That's the coldest shower I can imagine right now.

Again, thanks for reading the story. (And if any of you is a hot girl, please feel free to give a call to the coolest geek.) That's not a good idea, Tuck; Chuckie Finster is already dating someone. (HEY! Okay, let me rephrase that; if any of you is a hot girl, please feel free to call the coolest TECHNO geek in AMITY PARK for the experience of a lifetime.) Watching you eating ten T-bone steaks in less than five minutes? (Very funny, man… but you gave me a great idea.)

So long, folks, and keep the good writing.


End file.
